Thoughts On Eternity

Eternity is a subject I always find myself wanting to learn more about - partly because it scares the hell out of me (pun intended). Last Sunday, we attended a mega church in the area and the sermon topic was on Hell. The most common description of hell is a fiery pit with overflowing lava and the torchered souls of humanity screaming from within. Here's my problem with that description: It tells me squat. Most descriptions of hell dont tell me what I really want to know! However, last Sunday, I was so happy to received some new information!

Here are a few common terms in connection with the word hell redefined:

Gnashing of Teeth: The minister explained it something like this ... the moment you realize you took the wrong exit, you grit your teeth because you messed up. Can you imagine taking the wrong exit over and over and over again - always just realizing how much you messed up. It would be agony! It would be hell. It is the most frustrating existence.

Utter Darkness: God created all things beautiful and peaceful. When I think of a place that is void of God, void of God's touch, I think of a very dark, cold and lonely place. When we refuse to acknowledge God, we then refuse to take part in His creation. C.S. Lewis wrote, "The doors of hell are locked from the inside". Eternity is our choice! The beauty and the tragedy of human existence is something called free will. I always hear people say things like, "Me and Jesus just don't get along," or, "God hates me. I wish He'd just leave me alone". The scary part is, eventually, He will say okay. He will listen and leave us alone.

I don't want to be away from God! I love His creation; I love His ways. I don't always do what I know He wants me to do. I mess up all the time. But I will always acknowledge Him as the sole Creator and Sustainer of life - most specifically, my life. I love Jesus because I believe He is the Son of God and I believe He is the only way to God. I am not a theologian, or anyone important for that matter, but these I believe and know are true!